Indexing and filing device



Nov. 16 1926. 1,607,125

` w. N. HOWARD INDEXING AND FILING DEVIcE Nov. 16,1926. 4 1,607,125

W. N. HOWARD INDEXING AND FILING DEVICE -k Filed Mav 29. 1924- 2 sheets-Sheet 2 OLD LANCE CHECKS IN UETAL DPDSITS NEW BALANCE BALANCE BROUGNT FORWARD OLD ALAucC cuzcKs IN DETAIL DEFOSVIS NEN BALANCE BALANCE BKOUQNT FDRUIIRD K?" OLD BALANCE CHECKS IN DETAIL EPUSIYS NEN BALANCE BALANCE BRUUQMT FORNAHD G L nu: BALM: cunas IN DETAIL guagua New smJmcs BALANCE mourant Funwuw GLU BALANCE y CHZCIS IN DETAIL DEPOMTS NEN BALANCE DM-ANCE BROUGNT FGKNARU NEW Erkl-ANCE CHECKS IN DETML nlosn's om Numa:

BALANcE neuem Fakwmw 5;?

' INVENTOR.

W l1( HOM/17h70 Patented Nov. 16, Y1926.4

y UNITE 'YISTTQS raranrrrice.

WILLIAM N. HOWARD', oFLos ANGELES, cALiFonNIA.

INDEXING AND Application mea Mayjaa,

wherein individual sheets are grouped-aci cording to a definite surname arrangement and whereinfthey sheets injeach group `are again grouped under an alphabetical arrangement of given names. f 'Another object of the invention is to provide an index. wherein the proper index vreference to two or more spaced-columns may be noted in a single table arranged bctween the columns. I f A further object of the invention lis to provide an index` which is-compactly arranged and wherein the totalnumber of subjects VindeXed may be quickly determined. Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the 'following 'description' taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. l isfa fragmentary elevation of a group of my 'improved cards; Fig. 2 is a view similar to 'Figal showing the vindex card; -vFigL 3 is a similar view showing thefindividual cards whichV are listed and assembled under `a sub-'group or set heading and Fig. 4 is a similar view fof a card fromkthe same setas the top card in Fis-1 v f Referring to the drawing b y reference characters, I have shown card embodyingy the features of my invention-at l0. -This Acard' may be providedwith 'data'l such as a'sheet number 'at 1l, a 'namewhich includes a surname andgiven name at`l2. The sheet Ymay be provided with an address space 14.

Columnar lheadings l5 maybe provided.

Ywhich include Old balance, Date, Checks in detail,mDate, Deposits Date and New balance. These headings may be used when my invention is used by banks although the headings andA divisions are merely' indicative of yone of many usesV to which may invention can be put.

A completev index, according to my invention, includes a set of index sheets 416K-Fig. 2) as well as a plurality of 'groups ofl cards. A group of cards is shown in Fig. l where the cardsare disposed one on top of another,

FILINGy DEVICE. l i

1924. fseriai no. 716555. f

the' overlapping edges carrying the signals being shown vat '17. l ,i Each. group of cards comprise a plurality of sets of cardsy Each group includes cards having surnames thereon which havelcertain common characteristics including a common initial while each sub-group onset includes cards bearing given namesV having certain common characteristics. This surname grouping may be accordingl to any approved sys-tem either alphabetic, or.V based on consonants, on vowels, on vowels and `conf sonants, etc. r

As shown, the grouping is based on consonants, 'each lof-,which is` given a definite numericalv value.' j In the illustration the names,l Brehm, v4Brown,glarron,etc. all have' a 'numericalvalue equaling 650 but I have merely Aselected this groupl `Aas typical of many'groupsj y *Y As stated all'the name-cards would bedivided .into groups'withthe surname in each group havingy certain common characteristics. In the following vdescription I'have described but onevgroup `of the .entire in- -dex -but'it will lvbe understood that the other groups would be similar in arrangement.

"In Ythedrawingrin Fig. l I illustra-te a group of cards'wherein the cards are-all vof the 'class which v'wouldgbe classified-in the group having the 0f 650.V l

The cardsshown in Fig. lfare provided with signals 19 thereon. Invevery group the signals displayed preferably run consecutively 1, 2,'3,4,;5, 6,7,.8, 9, 0, with the ar- 'surname ynumerical value rangement repeated so that in each group 2O K signals are visible.

In making the top card ofthe grouprshown inFig. ljthe operator would preferably rst Vfill in the surname'Brehm, and would thenrinsert the given name Alexander.- The number 650 wouldbefnoted onthis card as well. as, all of the; cards ofwthis group, als well as the designation .20 which would correspond-to some characteristic yof the given name. In

the presentinstance, I have-shown vthe designating4 mark20 asthe letter A which corresponds to theinitialin lthe giveny name .Alexander; z

y.According to vmy system thel cards of; each group comprising the rst set'bear the signal 1,as shown atul9v Fig. l andthey wouldv receive the given names beginning with A. The cards bearing the slgnal 2 would receive asV the names whose given names begin with B. The cards bearing the signal 3 would receiv-e the C names, etc., down to the ninth card whereon I would preferably combine the initials I and., J would/.occupy the next card bearing a zero signal with'N, O disposed on the right third card, l?, ,Qontl fourth right card, and in regular order with U, V on the eighth right card, W on the ninth card and X, Y, Z on the zero Vright car'd.Y

- From the foregoing description'it will be seen that `after the names havebeenv segregated into the groups Yaccording -to some common characteristic of the surname, these names will again be classified in sets with the given names showinga common characteristi'c'su'ch as an initial in :sets tothemselves.

In filino' lthese cards the first card which wo-uld'beplaced in each set would be marked Acct. No. 1, as at 21. The secondv card of the set which wouldappear immediately'behind thefirst card would be markedl Acct. No.2. This `is'shown in the'drawingl where the-'first card in the first setthat is, the set bearingv the signal lr-'is shown in Fig. 1 and the second card iii-this set is shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 3 I have `shown lfive cards dis'- Y posed one above the other. It will be noted here that each of these cards has the surname Ywith such characteristic that itis thrown into the numerically numbered 650 group. The given names ofthe cards in'Fi'g. 3 all begin with E and consequently these vcards have the E classification as at 22. These' cards are also provided withthe signal 5 as shown. H

The first card which is placed in the file would be marked Acct. No. las at 28,- the -second card Acct. No. 2 as at v24, and in order the accountsV would'be numbered `as at 25,26 and 27. The account number therefore may indicate the relative order in which the cards in each set were filed.

In order to readily find whether or not certain names are shown in this index and if so to determine their location and toA facilitate their selection I show in Fig. 2, an index card for "the :650group which beconsidered a' `co m1;ionent part of my invention.

"I his nindex vcard isr provided with columnar headings consisting ofa number column at 30 along oneedge and a second number column V S1 along the other edge. The card is also provided withvertica'l columns 3B and 34 toreceive 'the namesas they are entered thereon. The index card isalso provided with a table 35 which is provided with columns each havinga' double heading. .The lower heading comprises the numbers Vfrom 1 to V9 then naught, frepeatedfagain 1 to 9A then naught.

The topheadin-g 37 is alphabetically arranged a', Y), c, etc., :corre'spending` to the'lets ters selected to accompany the numbers as valreadyexplained.

In using the index shown in Fig. 2 with my improved cards the firstname would be entered at the left in the first space of column 33 as at 38. Brehmwould throw this name into the A set-that is, into' the 1 set. To distinguish this'v a ...numeral `1 would be placed at 40 in the upper half of the horizontal column in which the nain-e .Alexander Brehm was placed. The next name to be entered might be that of J. J; Brown and would beente'red in the first space of the right-hand col-umn 34. The initial heading J in this case would throw Browns card into the left-'hand nine set and to indicate this as 1 .would be inserted inthe lower half of the horizontal column wherein the name J. J. Brown appears as at 41. This method of entry would be continued in regular order Awith a 1 being inserted to indicate the set of the cards in Vwhich we might look for a particular card.

Then a card appears which would be the second card in a set., for instance as at 43 where at the right-hand side of Fig. 2 the naine of John N. Brown appears, then `instead of'entering'a 1 in the `column we would enter a 2 as at 44 to indicate that John N. Browns card is the second card in the set. Referring to the fifth initial column at the left, as shown at 45, in Fig. 2 it willbe noted that five numbers appear in this column indicating that there yare five cards in the set. Should other knames be entered in this column the next would be Acct. No. 6 and would be placed sixth in the E -or fifth group and so on. I

From the foregoing description it will be vnoted that the namesV at the left are indexed in the table at the upper halfa's at 40 of each transverse column, while the righthand names are indexed'in the low-er'half of each horizontal column.

My invention is of great aid in taking 0E balances and in figuring accounts as the operator can very easily determine the number of accounts present by adding the numbers appearing opposite the naines atV the right andV left-hand sides. Y'

. The .device is very useful in searching;

Vfor instance, if we vwere looking for a name.

This naine Alexander' having the 650 value, wherein the initial of the given vname began with `a Dit would b 'e only necessary to look `on the'() index -card in the column indicated by reference character 46, and if we noted'that` thiscolumn was Vblank'it would at once indicate that there were -no '650 'group names wherein the given name initial began with a D. Should any names be dropped from the list, a circle would be vdrawn 'around the numberiin the index designating the name so that the unused name couldk be very easily detected.

When a group of cards such as shown inv Fig. 1 is used wherein the names in the group do not include certain initials inthe various given names the operator could detect this omission by noting lWhich'numbers were missing from the group shown in Fig. l. For instance, in reading the signals from the left should he detect that the numeral 4 or signal 4 which ordinarily should appear at 50 was missing he Would know at once that there were no names havingvthe initials D in this group. He could do this Without use of the index card. 1

Having thus described myv invention, I claim: 1':

l. In an index device, an index sheet com-` prising a body ruled to provide horizontal columns which extend entirely across the sheet, Vsaid horizontal columns at each edge of the sheet formed into vertical columns for the reception of names to be indexed, the center portion of Isai-d sheet including .a table for checking given naines, said table includingV vertical columns having lettered@ headings so that the given name may' be checked under the letter corresponding to the initial of the given name.

2. In an index device for cards,ran index sheet ruled to provide horizontal columns.

which extend entirely across the sheet, said horizontal columns at each edge of the sheet being provided with vertical columns for the reception of names to be indexed,'the center vportion of said sheet including a table having signals displayed thereon, said tableV tical columns'of the index sheet, said ver-k i tical columns each having their spaces numlbered consecutively.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto alix my signature. v l

WILLIAM- N. HOWARD. 

